


Boyish Optimism

by youheldyourbreath



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:39:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youheldyourbreath/pseuds/youheldyourbreath
Summary: Selina kisses Bruce and he freaks out.  In the best way.





	

He really, really liked Selina. As in more-than-a-friend kind of liking. It felt adult, his feelings. He had told her that they were the same and that he had felt something between them. She had to feel it, too. Or at least he hoped she did. So when she kissed him, the sweet and soft kind, he felt his whole world explode in confusion. He had asked, shyly, if she felt something and, in true Selina fashion, she had avoided the question head on with a cute shrug as she walked away from him and his question.

A smile played at his lips. 

When he returned to the party, he caught Selina’s eye and the smile blew up into something much more pronounced. She ducked her head and avoided his eye. The lights of the club lit up her cheeks in a pinkish blush. He hoped that he was the cause. 

Alfred slipped silently next to him with his arms crossed neatly behind his back, “Where did you pop off to, Master Bruce?” Bruce said nothing but his eyes lingered on Selina who was stealing a wallet from one of his chief advisor’s at Wayne Enterprises. Alfred’s eyes followed Bruce’s line of vision to the thief. The butler clicked his tongue in understanding. “Ah, Miss Kyle.” Bruce’s ears turned red. Alfred turned his gaze down to Bruce, “She looks lovely tonight, Master Bruce. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I-“ Bruce started with a crack in his voice, “I hardly noticed.”

“Mhmm,” Alfred hummed knowingly, “So where did you run off to, then?”

Bruce straightened his spine and adjusted the cuffs of his suit jacket distractedly. He tried to pry his eyes from Selina to focus on Alfred but her hand lifted in a wave across the room. It was a small, purposeful gesture and he hated the fact that his whole body heated up from it. “The roof,” he replied simply. 

“With Miss Kyle?” Alfred countered, his eyebrow raised. 

The billionaire nodded, his eyes still trained on Selina, “Yes.”

“Am I to assume we will be seeing her more, then?” 

Selina snuck out of the main room and Bruce grinned boyishly, “I hope so, Alfred.”

“Very good, Master Bruce.”

—

Bruce was sitting in his father’s old office when the latch on the window opened from the outside. His eyes skirted across the page of the letter he was reading when the window squeaked and the wind suddenly whipped into the room. With nearly imperceptible steps, Bruce heard Selina approach him from behind. He did not move, he did not breathe. His face remained unmoved as he waited for her to make herself known. 

She sucked in a breathe and exhaled, “When did you figure out I came in?”

Bruce spun around in his chair and looked up at her, “When you undid the latch on the window.”

“Huh,” she shrugged, her face impassive, “Pretty good.”

“You walk quietly but not quiet enough,” he challenged. 

She rolled her eyes, shrugged off her leather jacket and crossed to the couch. Selina fell back into the cushions and looked at him with amusement. “Tell that to everybody who loses their wallet to me.”

“Maybe,” he admitted, “But I know what your feet sound like. I’m always listening for you.”

Her face definitely turned slightly red, “That’s weird, B.” Bruce pulled himself up and out of his chair. He moved to the coffee table in front of where she was sitting, echoing the way he had sat across from her a few days ago when Five was still living with them, and hesitated. Selina watched him cautiously, “What are you doing?”

“Just sitting,” Bruce breathed, reaching for her hand.

She did not move away from him, which Bruce took as a good sign or, at the very least, not a bad sign. “And holding my hand.”

“And holding your hand,” he repeated.

“This is weird,” she laughed nervously, “This is weird, right?”

He shook his head, “No.”   
“I don’t have feelings for you, kid,” she said weakly.

“Okay,” his tone was patient.  
 “I don’t,” she reiterated, her voice softer.

“I hear you.”

There was a beat of silence between them before they both lunged at one another. Their mouths crashed together, meeting in the middle. Selina’s hands found Bruce’s face and his arms pulled firmly around her middle. They kissed and kissed for as long as they could hold out without breathing. 

Desperately, they separated for breath. Their panting was ragged. 

Selina touched his face gently. Exploring his features like she had never really looked at him before. He felt exposed and unexplainably safe in her hands. His eyes watched her watch him. There was something intriguing about getting to see her look at him, really look at him. Through her eyes, he felt stronger and softer than the Bruce Wayne he knew he had to be. The money and status didn’t matter between them. They just existed.

Bruce’s hand cupped the back of her head and brought her close, their foreheads touching. “So,” he started as his face fell closed, “You do have feelings for me?”

“Are you still confused about that?” she quipped, brushing her mouth against his lightly. 

He pecked her mouth once, then twice and a third time, as he was uninterested in not kissing her, before he replied, “I just want to clarify some things.”

“Okay,” she smothered his mouth with more kisses and Bruce grew giddy. She wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her. This thing between them felt valid and real and he was torn between kissing her silent and letting her speak. He wanted to hear everything she had to say but her lips were far too intriguing to his fifteen year old mind to ignore. Actually, they felt like something very important and in need of great attention. His fifteen year old civic duty. She laughed at his tirade of kisses, “Bruce, I’m trying to talk here.”

“I don’t care,” he managed between each kiss, “I want to keep kissing you.”

“Well,” a third voice filtered into the room, “If this is the way things are going to be from now on, I’m afraid I can’t right well leave you two alone, now can I?” Bruce and Selina jumped apart. He adjusted his turtle neck and tried not to look too pleased at how mused Selina’s hair had become. She was trying to tame it but Bruce had done quite the number on it. His inner boy crowed in delight.

Alfred stood unimpressed in the doorway and Bruce tried to dampen his smile but he found he could not. It grew more foolish and outlandish with each passing second Selina still fixed her hair. When he chanced a glance at Alfred he looked less than impressed. Bruce tried not to smile which only made him grin more. 

“Right. There something funny to you, Master Bruce?” Alfred spat.

“Of course not, Alfred,” Bruce mumbled, biting back his glowing expression. Selina shot daggers at him but he could not find the humility to be embarrassed. She looked properly kissed.

His butler took a step into the room and looked between the two teenagers. His expression seemed exasperated. “Have you two decided this is the way things are going to be from here on out, then?”

“No,” Selina said a little too hastily. Bruce tried not to act as wounded that comment felt. 

“Yes,” he said, with more confidence than he actually possessed. There was something between them and he was not going to let shame and embarrassment take them five steps backward. If she did not want to kiss him, if she didn’t feel the same he would drop the whole thing but she had kissed him. She was here and they were on the precipice of talking about what all of this meant. He could not go back to the way things were when there was so much to look forward to and so much to explore between them and their connection.

Selina shot him a nasty look but Bruce did not waver, he did not flinch. His eyes found hers and he said evenly, “We need to talk about this, Selina.”

“Nothing to talk about, B.” 

“Alfred, please give us a moment,” Bruce pleaded with his butler, his eyes insistent. 

A silent conversation passed between Bruce and his butler. He could feel Alfred’s hesitance but he eventually loosened and complied, “No funny business you two, you hear?”

Bruce noticed Selina’s face grow red as Alfred stepped out of the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, Bruce crossed to Selina, his voice strong, “Why are you running away from this?”

“I’m not running from anything. I’m here, aren’t I? I didn’t have to show up.” Selina growled out.

He closed the distance between them, his height easily towering over her. He always forgot how small she was from a distance. She commanded so much of the room. Her personality shinning out and making her so much bigger and harder than she actually was up close. She was soft and light and perfect. 

Bruce had to dampen the impulse to kiss her. “Selina, I don’t wanna tell you what to do.”

“-Rule one,” she interrupted.

“Right,” he smiled softly, “Rule one. Selina…?” Her saying anything at this point would be nice. 

“I wouldn’t mind. Figuring this out.” 

Bruce leaned in but Selina’s hand stopped him, her hand bracing his chest. His mouth hovered inches from her own. “What?”

“I gotta go. Places to go. People to see.” Her mouth grazed his lazily before she unwound herself from Bruce and strutted to the window.

The billionaire’s eyebrows creased in confusion, “Wait, now?”

“Yep.” Selina’s smile was wicked when she glanced back at him, “See you around, B.” Without another word, she jumped off the ledge and disappeared into the night. 

“Good to see you, Selina.” 

And this time it really was good.


End file.
